Dick pic locator website will make you think twice before hitting send

When you share a photo, you’re sharing a lot more than you probably realise.Source:Supplied

NO MATTER how sophisticated our technology gets, we humans stay the same.

We all carry incredibly powerful computers in our pocket that can tap into the vast history of human knowledge at any given time. And they can also take dick pics.

Unfortunately for some people, we seem to be disproportionately preoccupied with the latter. So much so that it’s evidently become a problem that needs fixing.

At least that’s what Swedish web designer Per Axbom believes. So he created a website that makes it easy for people who have been sent unwanted dick pics to find out the GPS coordinates of where the image was taken, and presumably take the appropriate retribution - he suggests maybe forwarding it to the person’s family.

The website is, rather aptly, called “Dick Pic Locator” and launched last week. So far the site has been used nearly 6000 times, according to a counter on the homepage.

“I combined my understanding of women being subjected to dick pics on a daily basis with my knowledge of what data is contained within many images today. The Dick Pic Locator is really just a service that has been waiting to happen,” he told The Local.

The phenomenon of unsolicited graphic images is by no means unique to Sweden. In fact it has reportedly become a trend on public transport in New York City to airdrop crude pictures of one’s genitalia to unsuspecting victims who have left their AirDrop open.

However there are obvious privacy issues with Mr Axbom’s site because users can upload any old photo to find where it was taken. That being said, all photos have a bunch of revealing metadata imbued in them which detail information including the type of device it was taken on, the time it was taken and the location.

However to access such metadata, you usually need the original copy of the photo. A screenshot won’t do and if it was sent over social media sites like Facebook much of the data will be wiped or altered.

There are also numerous open-source online tools to help people pluck out this type of data from photos. So while the Dick Pic Locator isn’t breaking new ground, it is making it a little easier for disgruntled dick pic recipients to unmask their perv.

Ultimately, the website is really more of an exercise in social commentary than anything else (Per Axbom seems to really dislike men sending unsolicited dick pics) and a salient reminder of just how much revealing data there is in the photos we share.

Its creator hopes the service can help make people more aware about the information stored in their images and how it is being used.

“My greater concern is that hardware and software developers are not making it utterly clear to people that this data is being used, it is being tracked and being uploaded to private companies when they use their service to share your photo,” he said.

“Maybe, just maybe, this can also make men think twice before sending unsolicited photos of their privates.”